Former college pitcher among repeat winners

It was a good year for defending champions at area clubs in 2008, especially in the men's division.

Eleven of the 24 winners from 2007 successfully defended their titles, including Todd Mercer at Forest Hills Golf Club.

The other repeat winners among the men were: Paul Moore (Goshen Plantation); Doug King Jr. (Pointe South); Aaron Cobb (Belle Meade Country Club); Mike Fowler (Champions Retreat), Jeff Pope (North Augusta Golf & Country Club); Rusty Flanders (Midland Valley Country Club); Chad Meldrum (Palmetto Golf Club); Mike McCarthy (Cedar Creek); Ron Schroder (Aiken Golf Club) and Larry Schneider (Savannah Lakes).

The repeat title at Forest Hills wasn't as nerve-wracking as the first one for the 46-year-old Mercer, an Augustan who was better known as a starting pitcher at then-Augusta College in the early 1980s.

"The first one, I'd never won a golf tournament in my life, and I was trying to reach that goal," Mercer said of the 2007 event. "The second one I was just relaxed; my game was in good shape, too."

In 2008, Mercer closed with 3-over-par 75 for 5-over 149 and a two-shot victory over Jim Brisson. The two were tied after 16 holes, but Mercer birdied the final hole and Brisson made bogey.

"I probably hit my best shots of the day on those last two holes," said Mercer.

Baseball was the 6-foot-3 Mercer's sport in college, going 14-7 in four years with the Jaguars (1981-84), the final two in the starting rotation.

But he still found time for golf during baseball season.

"I played a little bit, just recreational golf," he said. "It's funny, when it would rain out baseball practice, you would find a couple of us over here (Forest Hills) playing golf. It was a bad-weather sport for us. There were a lot of good golfers on the team."

While in college, Mercer said he might break 80 on a "really good day" playing at Forest Hills.

By the 1990s, he was breaking 80 regularly and now shoots between 72 and the mid-70s.

"It's just progressed," he said. "(Playing golf) is just something I enjoy doing. My grandfather was a golfer; my dad was a golfer."

He never played tournament golf until the late 1980s when the Regions Cup amateur tournament series arrived on the scene.

And he'd never played in a club championship until Forest Hills started having one in 2004. In 2006, he was the runner-up and now he's won two in a row.

Defending his club championship title in late October was so important to Mercer that he put off surgery on his right shoulder so he could play in it.

He had the surgery in early November, which is why friends see Mercer on the Forest Hills putting green all the time these days. He's been cleared to start hitting balls in early February.

He should be back to 100 percent by May, when the Regions Cup season begins.

Mercer had set a goal of earning his first top-10 finish in a Regions Cup event last year. Because of his work schedule, however, he was only able to play two of the 11 events.

He finished tied for 13th at the Sunbelt Nissan/Golf Capital Invitational at Mount Vintage and tied for 15th at the Augusta City Amateur at Forest Hills, where he has been a member for 12 years.

"I think if I can get my game back to where it was, I think it can hold up on just about any course we play, not just Forest Hills," Mercer said.

Reach David Westin at (706) 724-0851 or david.westin@augustachronicle.com.

Georgia Courses

Applewood GC: Tate Elliott

Augusta CC: Alex Boyd

Bartram Trail GC: Taylor Gove

Belle Meade CC: Aaron Cobb

Champions Retreat GC: Mike Fowler

Forest Hills GC: Todd Mercer

Golf De L: Ryan Smith

Gordon Lakes GC: Mark Ernyei

Goshen Plantation GC: Paul Moore

Jones Creek GC: Graham White

Pointe South GC: Doug King Jr.

West Lake CC: Tom Graziano

Women

Applewood GC: Carol Eldridge

Augusta CC: Laura Coble

Bartram Trail: Ellen Probus

Belle Meade CC: Sandra Klein

Champions Retreat GC: Margie Hamilton

Golf De L: Lisa Murdock

Gordon Lakes GC: Mary Helen McElreath

Jones Creek GC: Sandra Burton

Pointe South GC: Pam Goddard

West Lake CC: Debra Hatcher

Seniors

Applewood GC: Bob Platson

Augusta CC: Ralph Ireland III

Bartram Trail GC: Don Boren

Belle Meade CC: David Joesbury

Champions Retreat GC: Rob Bissell

Club De L: Jack Harvey

Gordon Lakes GC: Chuck Withers

Jones Creek GC: John Atkinson

Pointe South GC: Ralph Graham

West Lake CC: Rob Bissell

Super Seniors

Applewood GC: Doug Skrakosch

Belle Meade CC: Bob Ballard

Gordon Lakes GC: Charles Murphy

Jones Creek GC: Nino Delaurentys

Pointe South GC: Monroe Redd

West Lake CC: Mike Downes

Juniors

Belle Meade CC: Girls: Sarah Blackmon-Hughes

First Tee: Boys 15-18 -- Jeffrey Tran (Augusta Open); Will Carswell (Augusta Championship); Carswell (Match Play). Boys 12-14 -- T.J. Brunson (Augusta Open); Garreth Carpenter (Augusta Championship); Sam Odi (Match Play). Boys 9-11 -- Tyler Barker (Augusta Open); Trey Birdsong (Augusta Championship); Trey Birdsong (Match Play).

Jones Creek GC: Patrick Flake

Pointe South GC: Colin Johnston

West Lake CC: Tyler Duke

South Carolina

Men

Aiken GC: Ron Schroder

Cedar Creek GC: Mike McCarthy

Houndslake CC: Bob Pedley

Midland Valley CC: Rusty Flanders

Mount Vintage Plantation: Benji Thompson

North Augusta G &CC: Jeff Pope

Palmetto GC: Chad Meldrum

Persimmon Hill GC: Red Corley

Pine Ridge Plantation: Charles Gibson

Reserve Club: Don Cronin

River Golf Club: Monty Miller

Savannah Lakes: Larry Schneider

Women

Aiken GC: Lucy Fenstermacher

Cedar Creek GC: Mimi Wittkamp

Houndslake CC: Dawn Sunvall

Midland Valley CC: Patricia Pike

Mount Vintage Plantation: Ashley Rose

Pine Ridge Plantation: Bonnie Jackson

Reserve Club: Debbie Weber

River Golf Club: Paula Bragg

Savannah Lakes: Karen Sides

Seniors

Aiken GC: Terry Huang

Cedar Creek GC: Bob Kistler

Houndslake CC: Randy Shelley

Midland Valley CC: Billy Rangos

Mount Vintage Plantation: Mike Jackson

North Augusta CC: Don Johnson

Palmetto GC: Jim Wise

Persimmon Hill GC: Frank Herlong

Pine Ridge Plantation: Jimmy Gillian

River Golf Club: Charles McGahee

Savannah Lakes: Larry Ream

Super Seniors

Aiken GC: Harold Kimmel

North Augusta CC: Jerry Flanders

Palmetto GC: Bill Townsend

Cedar Creek GC: Bob DeMore

Pine Ridge Plantation: Billy Jackson

Savannah Lakes: Jim Orr

Juniors

Houndslake CC: Matt NeSmith

Palmetto GC: Chandler Brazeal

Persimmon Hill GC: Blake Lybrand; Darby Hallmon

River Golf Club: Dustin Hoang; Jessica Hoang

Note: These courses did not hold club championships: Augusta Municipal GC, Green Meadows CC. Others did not have club champions in every division. Woodside Plantation did not provide a list.